A New Icecream Partner
by WishingDreamer5
Summary: On the beach in Destiny Islands, something surprised Xion and it was weird that she'd never realized this before. She couldn't help but notice that they had a lot in common, even if it seemed the other way around at first. For example, Riku didn't smile that much, either. In fact, she had never seen him smile. Perhaps it was because he was alone, just like her...


**A/N: Don't own them (yet). I've started to like this pairing. Please keep in mind that I haven't played KH 358/2 Days. Therefore I'm sorry if I make any mistakes with the timeline and such. Enjoy reading! ;)**

**Special thanks: Aqua StormXIV, who beta read this.**

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_~ Xion couldn't help but notice that they had a lot in common. Riku didn't smile that much, either. In fact, she had never seen him smile. Perhaps it was because he was alone. just like her. Maybe that was why he wanted Sora to be back, so he wouldn't be alone anymore. ~_

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A sunset was always beautiful and worth to see it at least once in your life, - or, in this case, after life - but if you had very good friends with whom you could share this spectacle every day, then it was all even more wonderful to experience. Too bad that Xion had abandoned hers, though. It wasn't like she had a choice. She had to do this, but she didn't enjoy it.

Said raven-haired girl sat on the thick treetrunk of the paopu tree that grew toward the sea, quietly watching the setting sun of Destiny Islands. She was all on her own, for the first time in her life. It was at times like these that she realized how much she missed Axel's smart remarks, or Roxas' loud and cheerful laughter. They weren't here to fill the seemingly everlasting silence.

Xion also missed spending her afternoons on the top of the high clocktower in Twilight Town, eating sea-salt ice-cream with her two best friends while talking about nothing and everything at the same time. Even on cold days when their teeth would clatter, they would go to that Tower. It had become a tradition. One that she had broken not too long ago.

She couldn't go back, though. Not until she got all the answers to her many, many questions. Thinking of the two nobodies only made her feel even sadder. So sad that she would have cried if she had been able to. It was a good thing that she couldn't feel anything...for a change.

The calming sound of the sea in the background seemed to ease her mind a little bit, but not quite enough. The sky had gained many colors, from red, like Axel's hair, to blue, like Roxas' eyes. The reason that Xion liked - and at the same time hated - this place so much, was because it was all quiet here. Nobody from the main island seemed to come here, so she had the whole place for herself. She wondered if they thought that this island was cursed, or something. There were no footprints in the sand to indicate that someone had been here before. But then again, the sea could've cleared those tracks.

Her gloved fingers played with the soft sand. It slowly slipped out of her fingers, like an hourglass. It was like an addiction. She couldn't leave it alone. It was as if the sand spoke to her, whispering to touch it, as if it wanted to be petted by her. Yes, she knew that sand couldn't talk, but everything was so strange lately that she wouldn't be surprised at all if it could've talked.

"Look at me, I sound like I'm slowly losing my mind," she said, to nobody in particular.

The only answer she got was the rustling of the leaves, the crashing of the waves against the rocks on the other side of the island, and the crying of the seagulls in the far distance.

Xion sighed, wearily. She had to admit that being all by herself was pretty boring. There was no Roxas to make her laugh, nor an Axel to amuse her with his odd behavior. There was only a cloudless sky, a setting sun, some stupid palmtrees with coconuts and star-shaped fruit on it, and land and sea as far as the eye could see, until they met at the far horizon.

Suddenly, she felt something hard with her fingertips. Something that couldn't possibly be sand. She looked down. It was a seashell. One that glistened slightly in the dim light. It was colored a light green, pink and purple.

She had given many of these to Roxas, when he had been in a coma, one for every mission he had missed. She could still remember how she had searched over the islands, every single day. She wondered what he had done with them. Would he still have kept them? That could be possible. Roxas wasn't someone who threw things away that easily, no matter how useless they were.

Xion was still looking at the small object when she felt pure darkness coming from a point behind her. A dark portal. She didn't turn to look who it was, though, because she already knew. It could only be one person. She could hear how he slowly but surely walked closer to her. First he walked over the wooden bridge, and the rustling of the sand followed shortly after that.

When he reached her, the walking stopped and Xion closed her eyes. She waited for him to speak. He would start the conversation. He always did. The person still didn't say anything, but took a seat next to her. She didn't know that much about him, because she hadn't spoken to him that much, but she trusted him enough not to run away from him...yet.

Xion knew that it wasn't possible, but she couldn't explain why it felt like he was looking at her. He was waiting for an answer and she honestly didn't know what to tell him, because she hadn't made a decision yet.

"I see you've found a new place to hang out," he spoke.

Xion nodded. Her suspicions had been right. It was Riku, the blindfolded teen that was Sora's best friend. His long, silver hair glistened slightly in the light of the setting sun. It was at times like this that Xion wondered what color his eyes were.

"Yeah. I can't go back to the Clock Tower now that I've abandoned my best friends, right?" she replied.

"...I see."

Silence followed after that short sentence.

"I like this place better, though," Xion admitted. Before she could stop herself, she blurted, "Sure, the place isn't visited by anyone, but it's nice to watch the crashing waves and listen to the singing seagulls. Twilight Town doesn't have any seagulls, nor waves."

"That's probably because there isn't an ocean near Twilight Town," Riku noted.

"Mmhm."

The silence returned again, but this time Xion thought that it was a bit more awkward.

Apparently, Riku saw it as his own task to make an end to that, because the next thing he did was ask, "Let me guess, you don't happen to have any sea-salt ice-cream with you?" Riku asked.

At this, Xion gave turned her head to face him. She gave him a funny look and then slowly shook her head.

"No, I don't. Why did you ask?"

Riku didn't say anything, but started to search for something in his pockets instead. Xion almost smiled at the fact that he seemed to have lost the object. It looked silly, but then again, the Organization coat they wore had lots of pockets. One could easily lose their stuff that way.

Suddenly, he held two frozen popsicles in his gloved hand. Xion recognized it immediately. Sea-salt ice-cream, the most delicious ice-cream ever invented. Well, she hadn't really tasted any other ice-cream yet, but she was sure that nothing could possibly be tastier. The tongue wouldn't survive anything tastier.

"Because, Xion, I thought that you might like to have one. Here."

Riku handed her one of the ice-creams, but she didn't take it yet.

Riku frowned, before assuring her, "This one's on me."

She looked gratefully up at him, and then took it out of his hand.

"Thanks!"

That was the first time in what seemed to be ages that she smiled. It felt quite strange and unnatural, as if she had almost forgotten how to do so. Riku had managed to make her smile, though, with one simple gesture. By thinking of her and bringing her ice-cream. That was what friendship mainly was about, right? Maybe ice-cream made people realize this. Could it be a foundation of friendship? Then...did that mean that Riku was a friend of her now, too?

"No problem. Eating ice-cream on my own while being watched by you isn't probably that much fun, anyway," Riku noted.

Xion started to laugh at that. It sounded so cheerful that it almost startled her, but it was a start.

Xion couldn't help but notice that they had a lot in common. Riku didn't smile that much, either. In fact, she had never seen him smile. Perhaps it was because he was alone, just like her. Maybe that was why he wanted Sora to be back, so he wouldn't be alone anymore.

"I always used to come here as a kid. Sora's dad brought us...until we were old enough to come here on our own. By that time, Kairi had come to the islands, too," he said, sighing.

Xion's ear had perked up when Riku had mentioned the redhead's name.

"Do you miss them?" Xion asked, breaking the silence that was about to form once again.

She realized a little too late that this was a stupid question. Of course he missed Sora. It was only logical, but that was none of her business. She didn't expect him to reply with "yes," so it really surprised her when he nodded.

"Yeah, a little."

Xion was sure that he missed Sora more than just "a little." After all, Sora and Riku had been best friends for years now. It was a wonder that his voice didn't break.

After a while, when they had eaten their ice-cream, they both saw that they had a "_WINNER_-stick." It was almost ironic...

_Perhaps I've really won something today_, Xion thought, as she gave Riku a sidelong glance.

She quickly looked away when their eyes happened to meet, as far as that was possible when one of the two was wearing a blindfold.

The two didn't talk much for the rest of the time. They silently watched the sun set, both engrossed in their own thoughts. Even though Riku stayed silent most of the time, Xion really liked his company. She had missed this, contact with people. Somehow, she had a feeling that this wouldn't be the last time she would have such a moment with Riku.

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**A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you liked this, even if it didn't really seem to have a plot, or anything. I promise that my next RikuxXion one-shot won't be that "pointless." The reason I wrote this, is to show that their friendship and/or relationship had to start somewhere. This is my second entry for Bookaholic711's Project PULL. A review is more than welcome. ;)**


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